Bengals' reported Joe Burrow plans could foreshadow dynamic offseason

The Cincinnati Bengals have a huge offseason ahead. Duh, right? Although the organization shouldn't be expected to make a seismic, overnight shift from their typically conservative approach to building the roster, the latest buzz out of the Queen City is encouraging for Joe Burrow.

In an interview at the Pro Bowl Games, Burrow confirmed that he's happy in Cincinnati and wrote off his infamously not-fun press conference to having a bad day.

Time will tell if that holds. Much of Burrow's happiness depends on how proactive the Bengals are to improve their team in 2026. Hopefully a playoff trip for the first time since the 2022 season is on the horizon.

I'm happy to pass along the news of a positive report about the Bengals front office on this fine Super Bowl Sunday. Let's break it down!

Ian Rapoport confirms Bengals aren't expected to trade Joe Burrow & intend to actually fix their most glaring problem

While not 100% putting the kibosh on a potential Joe Burrow trade, NFL Media insider Ian Rapoport reported that the Bengals aren't planning to ship away their face of the franchise. Teams will likely call to inquire, per Rap Sheet, but no dice. About 99.9999% certain on that.

What was most encouraging about Rapoport's latest Bengals intel was the alleged plan by the front office to shell out some dough on defense in free agency:

"I do expect the Bengals to take his words and kind of use it to spur them on a little bit, to really spend this offseason. [...] I expect the Bengals to enhance and support everything Joe Burrow does...to spend probably more on the defense than anything else."

Hey, that sounds promising! Certainly more convincing than the press conference well-tenured Bengals de facto GM Duke Tobin served up not many moons ago. Didn't sound like much would change.

Regarding Rapoport's report in its totality, that "actions speak louder than words" cliché applies here. As does, "seeing is believing."

Although Cincinnati's brass can redeem themselves for an underwhelming free agency period by nailing the 2026 NFL Draft, recent years suggest that isn't an approach that'll bear much fruit. Counting on a fresh batch of rookies to instantly contribute and/or play at an NFL-passable level has burned the Bengals over the last four seasons in particular.

Those Burrow trade rumors will have very real legs next offseason if Cincinnati falls short of expectations again. I've outlined an extensive strategy, explained in 3,000-plus words, on how the Bengals can ensure that they don't render Burrow existentially disappointed once more.

I'll be positively thrilled if Tobin, Mike Brown, and the Blackburns muster a fraction of my personal ambition to deliver a Super Bowl to Cincinnati. So will Joe Burrow.